By Ambassador Heather Foley
Ahh, the pumpkin spice everything is in full swing.
There is a chill in the air (well, sometimes there is).
Your Chevron Houston Marathon or Aramco Houston Half Marathon countdown is in single digit weeks now.
The only thing that stands between you and that magical start line is the holiday season! Think you can’t enjoy the holidays while you train? I am here to tell you that you can! I have trained for a lot of marathons and once used to get a little nervous when the festivity planning would start to roll in and I would worry that I couldn’t do it all with the longest training runs happening to fall on some of the key party/holiday weekends.
Here are my tips for successfully balancing your training and the holidays!
- Get a big ol’ calendar and map it out! Write the mileage you need for each day for the whole month and that way nothing sneaks up on you!
- Traveling? Excellent opportunity to explore! Mapmyrun or Strava has all kind of searchable places for all different cities. Just search the city you will be in and get your miles in where the locals do!
- Plan your own celebrations! Know you are going to have to cut out of a party early for a long run the next morning? Plan a celebratory brunch, that way you have something to look forward to after you finish those long miles!
- Make your run festive. Need to get in your weekday sixer? Try running through the Christmas Lights in Tanglewood or River Oaks for those miles instead of your usual route. There are also plenty of Christmas Light Runs around town.
- Get people involved with your successes. Don’t be shy! Share that post run photo of your shoes/watch/self after you conquered that long run. Did you knock out 16 miles before most people got out of bed? Tell us! You never know who you are motivating.
The Runner’s High Club Thanksgiving Hill Work-Out
Lululemon Highland Village’s 2015 Christmas Light Run, this year join us on December 10th! (Photo used with permission from Visual Artist Photography)
I would love to hear about your training victories or tell me your favorite secret to keeping on track during these busy times of year. Tweet me @haf811 with your stories!
About the Author: Heather Foley
After graduating from college, affordable access and time for team sports was harder to find so Heather picked up running to keep in shape. She joined Runner’s High Club here in Houston in 2008 and a new family and passion was discovered! She has run over 30 marathons/ultramarathons (including back-to-back finishes at the Comrades Ultra Marathon in South Africa), but loves all the other distances as well. To keep in the best running shape she can be in, she also regularly does crossfit and yoga. Running motivates her on a personal level, but it also gives her the opportunity to interact with the incredible and vibrant community that exists among runners, and all people who love an active healthy lifestyle. When she does sit still, she likes it to be on a patio on a nice day with live music and friends. This is Heather’s third year in the Ambassador program.
Twitter – @haf811
Instagram – @haf811